Tuesday, February 28, 2017

As
busy as I am with studies and a sermon this Sunday (Sorry I haven’t been
blogging.), I cannot let pass that Family Christian Stores is closing.And by closing, I mean all of their stores are closing.

I
haven’t been in a Family Christian Store for years.One near by closed some time back.But I was very familiar with them in the early 2000’s as I
promoting my first book.As both a
customer and an author, I saw they had serious problems.Don’t get me even started on one
manager I had to deal with at two stores.He was lazy and treated authors horribly.

As
for their merchandise, at too many FCS stores, most of it was junk.I would follow the late, great Keith
Green and call it Jesus Junk, but so much of it either had little to do with
Jesus or was downright heretical.It was just junk.

Now
perhaps they improved their franchise later, but it was too late. Hastings suffered that fate. Once boring, they became a great place to visit and
shop, but went bankrupt and closed anyway.I always liked Borders, but they went bust years ago.Amazon has devoured much of the
brick-and-mortar retail business, good stores and bad.

Anyway,
Family Christian Stores used to be an important part of evangelical culture for
good or for ill.And now, they
will soon be gone.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

I
will have to keep this short, and this may be unpolished.This topic is big, but my time is
limited.

But
it must be noted that the attempted coup against our democracy that began with
protests against the results of a free and fair election, then continued with
attacks on the Electoral College, continues still.While Senate Democrats make it as difficult as never before
in modern history for Trump to put his people in place, while fed judges are
trying to take over immigration and national security, Obama/Establishment
holdovers are criminally leaking and undermining the President we elected.It is borderline treason against
democracy.

And
this is an attack on our democracy more than it is against Trump.DemocRATS and Establishment Republicans
would not have us rule ourselves under the Constitution.They
shall rule us whether by democratic means or not . . . or else. . . .

Obviously strongly prefer normal
democratic and constitutional politics. But if it comes to it, prefer the deep
state to the Trump state.

We
did not choose correctly in the past election.So they are undermining that choice by means legal and
illegal, political and criminal.

And
before you write off my concerns as fever swamp rants, John Podhoretz of all
people is alarmed by the brazen attacks on Trump and what they may
lead to.

The result might well be
violence. Not rhetorical violence. Actual violence. Actual political violence.
Actual conflicts between anti-Trumpers and Trumpers. At demonstrations. In the
streets. Of our cities. Political violence of a sort we haven’t seen in 50
years, and maybe haven't really seen in this country in the modern era. Those
who believe Trump is a unique menace whose threat to our democratic way of life
will be met with those who believe the elites are using illicit means to oust
the legitimately elected president of the United States.

And
Lefty Democrat (though one I respect) Dennis Kucinich is also warning about
attacks from the Deep State.

For
the sake of our democracy, Trump must “drain the swamp” of backstabbers,
traitors and criminals.And it is
becoming clear he must do that fast.There needs to be mass firings.If there is anyone in the bureaucracy Trump does not have reason to
trust who can be fired, they should be out, now.Those who cannot be fired due to our absurd civil service laws
should be reassigned to windowless rooms without computers.

Further,
there should be perp walks.I want
to see at least two or three perp walks a week to put fear into would-be
traitors.Obama’s criminals
especially have never had a price to pay and think they never will.That must stop.There must finally be a measure of
justice.Lock Them Up!

Whether
you agree with my prescription or not, do not put your head in the sand.It is not just Trump who is under
attack.Our constitutional
democracy, our right to rule ourselves, is under attack from within.

Friday, February 10, 2017

World
Relief continues its increasingly liberal political ways by taking out a full-page ad in the Washington Post expressing deep, deep concern about Trump
pulling back on the import of those lovely refugees until it can be determined
how to better vet them to make sure they really are all that lovely.Trump is so mean!

Now
on its face, the open letter is not that objectionable.Yes, we should be concerned about
genuine refugees.Certainly, we
should pray for God to grant our leaders wisdom.

So
I am not going to assume motives behind this letter and those who signed
it.But I will vent a bit on what
this open letter smells like.World Relief and Co are “deeply concerned”?Well, I’m going to express my deep, deep concern, too.

And
what this letter smells like is a passive-aggressive attack on Trump’s attempts
to protect us.That “concerned”
line at the beginning is a tip-off.If a modern evangelical leader ever tells you he is “concerned” about
you, watch your back!I certainly
can remember being fed that line while I was being stabbed in the back one
unhappy occasion.I was naïve back
then.Experiences with certain evangelical
churchly bureaucrats make me slightly cynical now.Yes, I admit it.

Oh,
but World Relief and company are not just “concerned,” they are “deeply concerned.”Heck, you better pray that getting
stabbed in the back is all that happens.

The
whole letter smells like weasel words to indulge in political attack while
retaining the pretense that they aren’t getting involved in partisan politics
at all.They are just expressing
Christian “concern.”

Where
was all this concern when terrorists and rapeugees were invading and attacking
Europe and beginning to invade and attack us with the help of Obama?

So
excuse me if this cynic is not buying World Relief’s “concern” now.It smells like the usual enabling of
invaders who would make us less safe, not to mention less American – liberal
enabling dressed up in polyester leisure suits or whatever evangelical leaders
wear now.(They never did know how
to dress.)

Maybe
it would be better to stuff all the posturing concern, complete with full page
ads in the Washington Post, and stick to being a supposedly Christian relief
agency.What a novel idea!Surely that is a better use of
donations . . . and less likely to drive donors away.And, yes, I would not be shocked at all if donations to
World Relief now decrease.

But
I can be dreadfully practical and downright hard-hearted about such things.It seems to be really compassionate,
you have to posture in full page ads.I admit I lack such compassion.

As
for ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch, who signed this with “Anglican Church in North
America” under his name, I will be slightly more gracious and assume the best
of motives.He certainly does have
a record of reaching out to refugees and deserves said assumption.But his signature as a bishop of ACNA
is nonetheless a highly questionable use of his position.

Further,
it takes us a step closer to open division in ACNA over immigration and refugees,
a danger of which I have already warned.

Friday, February 03, 2017

Events
in Berkeley two nights ago and NYU last night beg the question: when will Obama
and other Leftist Democrats denounce violent attacks on free speech?

A
few days ago, Obama said he was “heartened” by anti-Trump “protests” on
immigration.Let that sink
in.A corrupt Leftist former
President, less than two weeks after a freely elected President is sworn in,
encourages protests against the new President.

Is
this America or a banana republic?

And
Obama issued his statement after anti-Trump “protests” had already turned
towards violence and attacking the rights of others, including blocking
traffic.

Thursday, February 02, 2017

Some
may have thought me overwrought in the past in contending there is a deep
totalitarian streak in today’s Leftists.And maybe you’ve thought I’ve been too worked up when I’ve posted that
campus totalitarian attacks on free speech demand that universities that do not
defend free speech be stripped of federal funds.

But
last night’s events at U. C. Berkeley practically made my arguments for
me.And guess who has gotten the
message:

If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free
speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view
- NO FEDERAL FUNDS?

If
there are not mass expulsions, then government should finally step in and
defend free speech on campus.No
free speech?No fed funds.

By
the way, Fox Business is reporting at the moment that there have been no
arrests.None.Disgusting if that is even close to accurate.

Which
leads to an even bigger issue, violent "protest", really attacks and riots,
including shutting down highways, must be punished severely.Leftists must be made to understand
that we respect their freedoms, but they damn well better start respecting ours
or else.